Author Archives: Richard Farley

What if, instead of trying to bring in another David Beckham, Major League Soccer signed more players like Javier Morales? It wasn’t a hypothetical, though it was rhetorical. I was among a group of reporters gathered after MLS Cup three … Continue reading →

After two hours of watching Rebecca Lowe, Robbie Earle, and Robbie Mustoe break down Deadline Day on NBCSN, I still can’t decide if this would be a good thing for Major League Soccer. The signal-to-noise ratio is ridiculously low, a … Continue reading →

If Thierry Henry’s about to say goodbye to Major League Soccer, he’s doing so on a high note. His stint is one that caps one of the most productive four-and-a-half year stretches in league history. True, extending his deal at … Continue reading →

Consider the implications of Major League Soccer’s Disciplinary Committee – the league’s implicit acknowledgement that decisions on the field need not be sacrosanct. In the Information Age, the willingness to review the league’s most controversial plays shouldn’t be novel, but … Continue reading →

Sunday night’s game between Seattle Sounders and Houston Dynamo at CenturyLink Field looked like the aftermath of a tire fire, and thanks to a national broadcast, everybody online took note. When the Sounders kicked off ESPN2′s Sunday night game, the … Continue reading →

PORTLAND, Ore. – Red bricks rise toward the sun at dusk, the steps at Pioneer Square’s south and west becoming amphitheater benches when movies play across from the courthouse. When the farmers’ market or weekday lunch crowds relinquish control, the … Continue reading →

Not so long ago, Andrés Guardado was the most notable Mexican in the club game. Given what’s happened over the last four years, the memory’s been relegated to a footnote, but the span is still there: A small window in … Continue reading →

Wayne Rooney’s match-winner against Ukraine seemed to temper a meaningful critical review of his return. Rusty with his first touch and flashing a footballing mind working quicker than his out-of-practice reflexes, the tournament debit showed he wasn’t far from being … Continue reading →

Nothing ruins joyous occasion like dour tactics. They can’t overshadow another call for goal line technology, but they obscure Wayne Rooney’s return. They can also put a rousing performance from John Terry on the backburner. Regressing to the approach he … Continue reading →

Even if Wayne Rooney was available, England would have been happy with four points from their first two group games. And given their inexplicable reverence for a France (as if France weren’t a team that flamed out of the last … Continue reading →

It’s only recently that congestion in the midfield of French power Olympique Lyonnais finally cleared up, leaving Sweden international Kim Kallstrom as an unlikely last man standing. Four years ago, when free kick specialist Juninho Pernambucano was ending a You … Continue reading →

Those who kept reminding us about France’s talent forgot to mention inexperience. Franck Ribery and Florent Malouda have been mainstays for some time, but amongst the other key contributors to Les Bleus’ attack, there’s no big tournament experience. Karim Benzema … Continue reading →

Is it too much to suggest the difference between Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Stewart Downing could decide England’s first match? Of course it is. Questions like that are excessively incendiary, particularly when leaned on as leads for blog posts. Accept my … Continue reading →

Despite a top of the table that’s providing little reason for conversation, myself, Kartik Krishnaiyer and Laurence McKenna have plenty to discuss on this edition of the EPL Talk Podcast. In the hours before the show went to tape, Stan … Continue reading →

On this edition of the Major League Soccer Talk Podcast, co-host Richard Farley returns to join partner Christopher Riordan, giving the duo a chance to take an early look back on their preseason picks, using the season’s first few weeks … Continue reading →

With Richard Farley lost somewhere along the West Coast (yet still able to write this post), your regular co-host Christopher Riordan welcomes Kevin McCauley back to the show just in time for the upcoming Major League Soccer weekend. But before … Continue reading →

The English Premier League put two more clubs through to the quarterfinals of UEFA Champions League, with mid-week action seeing Manchester United and Chelsea qualify for the final eight. They join Tottenham Hotspur, who beat Milan last week, by sending … Continue reading →